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The card will also be compatible with the Bank of China Singapore e-wallet app that is set to launch at the end of this year. This will allow cardholders to make QR code payments via the UnionPay network.

SPH deputy chief executive officer Anthony Tan said at a launch ceremony on Friday that the benefits had been carefully curated to ensure their relevance to Lianhe Zaobao readers.

"Our forays into such adjacencies also indicate how our media business must and has evolved. In this day and age when there is plenty of competition for eyeballs and time, we are dedicated to quality journalism first and foremost, but this will not be enough," he said.

"We will need to work with like-minded partners, like UnionPay and Bank of China, to grow brand recognition and loyalty on our platforms."

Bank of China Singapore's card centre head Anson Lim (see amendment note)said working with SPH, the largest media platform here, helps expand the bank's local reach.

"We are not only reaching out to Zaobao readers but readers of The Straits Times and The Business Times as well."

Amendment note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Mr Anson Lim was Bank of China Singapore's general manager. He is in fact its head of card centre. The article has been changed to reflect that.